Donor insemination: exploring the experience of treatment and intention to tell

Abstract

This study explored the concerns and experience of men and women undergoing donor insemination (DI) treatment: levels of distress, mood, adjustment to infertility (Fertility Adjustment Scale: FAS), and intention to tell any potential child were examined. Two samples were included, a DI clinic in a London teaching hospital and the DI support group, the DC Network (the Donor Conception Network). Clinically significant levels of anxiety (HADS), high levels of distress and high scores on the FAS were reported by both men and women in the samples, suggesting that fertility problems and DI treatment are experienced as challenging. Achieving a pregnancy was the main concern expressed, but concerns about the donor and telling the child were also reported. Those who did not plan to tell their child reported higher levels of concern about telling, and higher levels of distress than those who planned to tell. Interest was expressed in accessing further counselling throughout treatment, and the difficulties in terms of the secrecy surrounding DI are discussed.

Disclosure behaviour and intentions among 111 couples following treatment with oocytes or sperm from identity-release donors: follow-up at offspring age 1-4 years

“… Brewaeys et al . (2005) as well as Salter-Ling et al . (2001) found that low education level was associated with a desire for secrecy and an intention not to tell the child about the donation.…”

Desenvolvimento do Questionário de Motivações para Revelar/Não Revelar a Parentalidade Não-Genética por Doação de Gâmetas

“…Face às consequências negativas da não-divulgação, bem como da ausência de consequências negativas da divulgação referidas anteriormente, há evidências que comprovam que as questões relacionadas com a divulgação e o sigilo são de longo alcance e que o sigilo total é difícil de manter (Salter-Ling et al, 2001). Assim, face à diversidade de respostas encontradas neste estudo, considera-se de extrema importância o devido acompanhamento por profissionais capacitados no processo de tratamento com gâmetas de dador, como forma de auxiliar os pais nesta decisão, ponderando as motivações a favor e contra contar à criança a natureza da sua conceção.…”

Strategies to Personalize and to Depersonalize Donors When Telling about Genetic/Gestational Origins

“…In contrast to the majority attitude of heterosexual couples who favor not disclosing their conception by means of gamete donation to their children (Leiblum and Aviv 1997;Salter-Ling et al 2001;Scheib et al 2003;Lycett et al 2005;Burr and Reynolds 2008;Freeman et al 2009;Jadva et al 2009;Blake et al 2016), single mothers and lesbian couples, whose families differ from conventional families in that 'there is no father', particularly favor disclosing how they have been conceived to their children (Leiblum et al 1995;Brewaeys 2001;Vanfraussen et al 2001;Murray and Golombok 2005;Freeman et al 2009;Landau and Weissenberg 2010;Gross 2014 ).…”